Floating breakwater for attenuating seas

ABSTRACT

A floating breakwater for attenuating seas which has two or more expanding portions so disposed as for each to be increasingly enlarged in size increasingly, in turn, from the front to the rear and disposed against the propagation of sea waves.

United States Patent [191 Tachii FLOATING BREAKWATER FOR ATTENUATING SEAS [75] Inventor: Muneoki Tachii, Mito, Japan [73] Assignee: Debero Kogyo Co., Ltd., Mito,

Japan [22] Filed: Sept. 7, 1971 [21] Appl. N0.: 178,083

[52] 11.5. C1. 61/5 [51] Int. Cl E02b 3/06 [58] Field of Search....'..... 61/5, 48; 114/.5 F, 66.5 S

[451 Feb/.12, 1974 Primary Examiner-Mervin Stein Assistant Examiner-David H. Corbin Attorney, Agent, or FirmGeorge B. Oujevolk [57] TRACT [561 CM ai zrzfiozz ztxxzznt12:52: 1?5:32:23'22:2: UNITED STATES PATENTS each to be increasingly enlarged in size increasingly, in 3,022,632 2/1962 Parks 61/5 turn from the front to the rear and disposed against 3,503,214 3/1970 Desty et al 61/5 X the propagation f sea waves. 3,570,256 3/1971 Thompson 61/48 3,653,214. 4/1972 Woody.....' 61/5 X 1 Claim, 5 Drawing Figures PATENTED m1 1 2 m4 SHEET 2 0F 2 FIGJ.

FIGS.

INVENTOR FLOATING BREAKWATER FOR ATTENUATING SEAS BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION BRIEF REVIEW OF THE PRIOR ART In general, this type of floating breakwater is attached with anchors through lanyards at the front and rear portions so as to float on the sea in position at a predetermined location, and it is better to have a large resistance against the wavy motion in order to greatly attenuate the sea.,

However, if it has large resistance, the breakwater tends to receive the shock of waves to cause it to be undesirably moved from a predetermined location, or the lanyards of the anchors thereof are accidentally cut.

For these reasons, it has not been effectively proposed so far.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION BRIEF DESCRIPTION OFTI-IE DRAWING FIG. I is an explanatory plan view of the floating breakwater in a used state of this invention;

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the breakwater;

FIG. 3 is a longitudinal side sectional view of the breakwater taken along the line III-III in FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a longitudinal side sectional view of the breakwater taken along theline IV-IV in FIG. 2; and

FIG. 5 is a side view of another embodiment of the breakwater of this invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION Reference is now made to the drawings, particularly to FIGS. 1 to 4, which show one embodiment of the floating breakwater for attenuating seas constructed according to the present invention.

The body 1 of the floating breakwater for attenuating seas has a peripheral edge 4 composed of side edges 2 and 2., and front and rear edge 3 and 3. When the floating breakwater is put into a practical use, a number of units, i.e., housing bodies 1 are aligned laterally, and the adjacent side edges 2 and 2' are connected to each other by a proper means. Then, floats 6 and 6 are connectedv to the front and rear edges 3 and 3' of the body 1 through lanyards 5 and 5, respectively, and anchors 7 and 7' formed of proper weights are connected to the floats 6 and 6', respectively also through the Ianyards 5 and 5, respectively. In such arrangement of the floating breakwater, waves are propagated from the front edge 3 to the rear edge 3' of the body 1 as shown by an arrow designated by A in FIG. 1.

The floating breakwater of this invention has two or more expanding portions 8, 8' and 8" from the front edge 3 to the rear edge 3 of the body 1 and so formed that the size of the expanded portions 8, 8 and 8" are enlarged, in turn, from the front to the rear of the body. In FIGS. 2 to 4, the portions 8, 8 and 8" are continuously engaged through concave portions9 and 9 in a sine wave shape in such a manner that not only the heights of the waves but the wavelengths of the expanded portions 8, 8 and 8" are, in turn, enlarged from the front to the rear of the body 1.

In FIG. 5, which shows another embodiment of the breakwater of this invention, streamline portions 10a, 10a and 10a are, in turn, provided at the front side of the expanded portions 8a, 8a and 8a", respectively of the body la, and the expanded portions 8a, 8a and 8a" are expanded only to the bottom side llla under water, but are not expanded on the floated portion 12a above water but are formed by a flat plate. Onthe contrary, the body of the breakwater has the expanded portions 8a, 8a and 8a" expanded also on the floated portion 12a in addition to the bottom side 11a under water symmetrically thereto in FIGS. 2 to 4.

The body 1 of the breakwater further has a desired number of projecting strips 13, 13, 13" and 13" and projecting strips 14, 14, 14" and 14 disposed in parallel with each other, peripheral projecting strips 15, 15 and 15" disposed between the projecting strips 13, l3, l3" and 13" and peripheral projecting strips l6, l6 and 16" disposed between the projecting strips 14, 14', 14" and 14", respectively from the front edge 3 to the rear edge 3 on the surface thereof. Accordingly, The body 1 also has first recesses 17, 17' and 17" partitioned by the projections 13 and 14 at the front 3 side, second recesses 18 and 18' surrounded by the peripheral projecting strips 15 and 16, third recesses l9, l9

and 19' partitioned by the projecting strips 13" and 14', and fourth recesses 20 and 20 surrounded by the peripheral projecting strips 15 and 16' formed, in turn, in staggered disposition. Penetrating holes-21 and 21', and 22 and 22 are formed through the second and fourth recesses 18 and 18', and 20 and 20, and these recesses are provided at the concave portions 9 and 9'.

In order to manufacture the body 1 of the breakwater, as shown in FIGS. 2 to 4, wavy outer layers 23 and 23' forming the portions 8, 8 and 8" are abutted so as to be adhered at the peripheral edge 4 and the peripheral edges 24 and 24', and 25 and 25 of the penetrating holes 21 and 21', and 22 and 22', respectively, or are fixed by fittings 26, 26' and 26". The outer layers 23 and 23' may preferably be formed of synthetic resin. Floating material '27 such as foam synthetic resin is filled into the floated portion'l2, and liquid such as sea water is filled into the bottom side 11 under water through a supply port 28 provided on the floated portion 12 by a pump (not shown). A plug 29 is provided at the supply port 28, and connecting fittings 30 and 30', and 31 and 31 are provided at the front and rear edges 3 and 3' of the body 1 for connecting the lanyards 5 and 5', respectively.

In operation of thus constructed breakwater, since two or more expanded portions 8, 8' and 8" formed on the body l are so formed that the size of the expanded portions are enlarged, in turn, from the front edge 3 to the rear edge 3' of the body 1, if the bodies 1 are used by aligning them laterally in parallel to each other as shown in FIG. 1, the sea or waves coming from the front edge 3 are weakened by the first expanded portion 8 of the smallest size, and are then attenuated by the expanded portion 8 of the second size. Thus, the

seas are gradually attenuated, in turn. As a result, the

body 1 of the breakwater does not receive greater force of the waves at once so as to attentuate the waves at once, the lanyarns are not broken nor is the body 1 broken. Further, the anchors are not drawn from the predetermined location to cause it to move. Since it attenuates the waves gradually and positively, though the conventional breakwater should have approximately 30 percent of wave attenuating efficiency so as to be put into a practical use according to the experiment, the breakwater of this invention performs approximately 70 percent of wave attenuating efficiency.

Such a great improvement of the wave attenuating efficiency results from the fact that the waves are gradually and positively attentuated, in turn, by the expanded portions of the breakwater which gradually increases the size thereof from the front to the rear of the body, and also from the fact that when the seas come from the. expanded portion 8 of the smallest size, the expanded portion 8 is easy to be rocked up and down at the expanded portions 8" of the larger size as a fulcrum so that such motion attenuates the waves by the body 1 as a hammering operation so as to greatly attenuate the waves in consideration.

In the above embodiment, the draft line of the body 1 of the breakwater may be adjusted by filling liquid into the body 1 through the supply port 28 to a desired position, but it may also be adjusted by filling solid such as sands. lf liquid is used to adjust the draft line of the body 1, it may be conventionally exhausted by a pump so as to ship it on board.

Since the body of the breakwater has a desired number of recesses through which the penetrating holes are elevationally provided, if the bodies 1 are used by aligning them laterally in parallel to each other as shown in FIG. 1, the waves coming from the front edge 3 of the body 1 are weakened, in turn, of the energy by the recesses at the same time a vortex is generated toward the penetrating holes provided in the recesses with the re suit that the waves become the vortex so that the energy of the waves are attenuated thereby. As a result, it provides a great wave attenuating capability.

Since the body of the breakwater has a desired numberofrecesses16,l6',16";17,17', 17";18,18,l8"; and l9, l9 and 19" formed, in turn, in staggered disposition to each other, if the bodies 1 are used by aligning them laterally in parallel to each other, the waves coming from the front edge 3 of the body 1 are weakened, in turn, of the energy by the first, second, third, fourth recesses 16, l6',16";17, l7,17";18,l8',18; and l9, 19, 19' gradually in the order. And since the recesses are disposed in staggered arrangement to each other, the waves propagated along the projected strips 12, 12 without being attenuated are attenuated by the peripheral projected strips 14, l4; 15, 15' of the next recesses so that the waves are gradually weakened without being abruptly weakened. As a result, the body 1 of the breakwater does not receive a great shock by the waves, and accordingly the lanyards 5 and 5' are not broken, nor anchors 7, 7' are drawn thereby.

What is claimed is:

1. A breakwater arrangement comprising a plurality of elongated floating housing bodies adjacent to each other in side by side relationship, each housing body having defined front and rear ends, and being separated longitudinally in an upper surface section and an underwater section and further having defined therein a series of expanding and communicating chambers extending from said front to said rear ends, each chamber going from the front to the rear end being progressively larger than the previous chamber, a supply port to at least one of said chambers, said chambers, when viewed in longitudinal cross-section presenting an enlarging symmetrical profile, said housing further having at least two projecting strips disposed longitudinally parallel to each other extending between said front and said rear ends on said upper surface section and at least two peripheral strips disposed between said projecting strips, said strips defining at least a first set of recesses partitioned by said strips at the front end and at least a second set of recesses rearwards of said first set of recesses likewise partitioned by said strips, said recesses being staggered from said front to said rear end so that waves not attenuated by said first set of recesses are then attenuated by said second set of recesses, and, holes penetrating into said housing body in at least in one of said sets of recesses are provided to provide a vortex from oncoming waves. 

1. A breakwater arrangement comprising a plurality of elongated floating housing bodies adjacent to each other in side by side relationship, each housing body having defined front and rear ends, and being separated longitudinally in an upper surface section and an underwater section and further having defined therein a series of expanding and communicating chambers extending from said front to said rear ends, each chamber going from the front to the rear end being progressively larger than the previous chamber, a supply port to at least one of said chambers, said chambers, when viewed in longitudinal crosssection presenting an enlarging syMmetrical profile, said housing further having at least two projecting strips disposed longitudinally parallel to each other extending between said front and said rear ends on said upper surface section and at least two peripheral strips disposed between said projecting strips, said strips defining at least a first set of recesses partitioned by said strips at the front end and at least a second set of recesses rearwards of said first set of recesses likewise partitioned by said strips, said recesses being staggered from said front to said rear end so that waves not attenuated by said first set of recesses are then attenuated by said second set of recesses, and, holes penetrating into said housing body in at least in one of said sets of recesses are provided to provide a vortex from oncoming waves. 